


KaiDUMB

by An_idiot_with_fanfiction



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Adams so done, Angst, Bisexual Male Character, But theyre whipped for each other, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Gay Adam (The Hollow), Goin to school, Kai has adhd, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, Skeet (The Hollow) Lives, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Theyre just dumb kids, kaidam - Freeform, solvin mysteries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24269602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_idiot_with_fanfiction/pseuds/An_idiot_with_fanfiction
Summary: Adam's been living in Hollow Life for about 2 and half months now. And while he may still struggle adjusting to his new life, at least he wasn't doing it alone.So you can imagine his surprise when, once things had finally taken an air of normalcy, Adam's thrown right back into everything he's been trying to escape. And this time he can't turn to his friends for help.
Relationships: Adam/Kai (The Hollow), Adam/Reeve (The Hollow), Mira/Skeet (The Hollow), Mira/Vanessa (The Hollow)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

Adam didn't think high school could be interesting. Really. I mean really how could anyone turn this concrete prison fun. But standing in the janitors closet nose to nose with Kai Parker, Adam felt his heart racing.  
"Mr. Parker" an angry authoritive voice echoed down the hallway, Adam threw his hand over the fellow deliquents mouth, just in time to muffle a squeak of terror.  
They waited in silence as heeled shoes clicked down the hallway and out of earshot.  
Adam removed his hand with a sigh.  
"That was close. We can't keep cutting class for these meetings though, my straight A's are at steak."  
"Hey, I'm sorry! But we can go to your house whenever you'd like"  
"As if! My parents are so boring! And they'll make us keep the door open the whole time. I think they're starting to think we're dating."  
Kai laughs.  
"But your mom makes the best cookies! Besides your parents may be embarassing but mine are in town. All they do is argue and neglect me. We're way better off meeting up at your place."  
"Nope. Off the table. Last time they thought I was dating someone they made her parents come over for dinner and talked about grandchildren the whole time."  
"Oof" Kai cringed at the second hand embarrassment. "I'd hate to see what they're like when you're in an actual relationship."  
"You and me both."  
The two fell in silence for a moment.  
"They... Know right?" Kai asked, backing away, putting space between the two of them in the cramped closet.  
"That I'm gay?" Adams voice cracked, he cleared his throat and stood back.  
"I've never... Talked to them about it? But my mom definitely knows. She sends me gay memes on Facebook all the time, she even goes to pride events and stuff with me. My dad was kinda embarrassing when he found out though. Went on and on about how he'll love me no matter what and that he just wants me to know that I can tell him anything."  
"So they know."  
"Yeah but like... We dont talk about it. I don't know, it's weird."  
"I dont think it's weird."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah. I think its kinda cool you dont have to explain yourself to your parents. When I told mine I wanted to play in the hollow tournament they didnt get it at all... And when I tried to explain it to them they just shut me down... At least yours left room for a conversation."  
Adam chuckled.  
"I think video games and sexuality are kinda different"  
"You know what I mean! Your parents listen!" Kai huffed, beginning to get agitated.  
Adam ruffled his hair, chuckling to himself  
"Sure kid, I get you. No need to get so riled up."  
"I wish you'd stop calling me that! I'm barely younger than you!"  
"Whatever man."  
Adam reached into his satchel, pulling out a notebook and pen.  
"Now down to business"  
Kai nodded with a grin growing across his face.  
"Planning Mira's birthday party!"

Two months ago Adam never would have dreamed of skipping class. But since the discovery of his new simulated lifestyle, and a certain negative influence, he found himself hidden in bathroom stalls and janitor closets more often than in class.  
It started when the five of them started going to school together in hollow life. Seeing all of his classmates and teachers as avatars was a bit jarring at first, but at least he had his team mates there to express the oddities to. They usually met up during lunch but due to a new, sensitive topic (Miras surprise birthday party) him and Kai have been forced to schedule some more... Out of place meetings.  
It was also strange going to school with Kai now. I mean, him and Adam had gone to middle school together - at least that's what Kai always told him. But they never really interacted. Adam hardly knew what Kai looked like outside of the game anyways. But his avatar stood out. He recognized him passing in the halls now. The strangest part was probably just how aware of Kais presence Adam had become. Since the game ended he started tagging along with him and Mira a lot more. Bestie mall trips became ordeals of third wheeling whilst the two window shopped at the Spencer's. Picking a place for lunch had become a nightmare. But... Adam had to admit, it was a lot more fun. He wasnt alone when Mira dragged him into the Victoria's Secret, and he finally had somebody else who recognized that the cashier at the pretzel shop was totally dating the guy at the froyo stall.  
Plus who else would make all the terrible puns Adam hates?  
Life had certainly been different, but it was also better in a strange way.  
But Kai was still pretty annoying. It felt like he and Mira now had a kid to babysit everywhere they went. Constantly calling out "don't touch that!" Or "That's flammable!" When they'd only turned their attention from him for a second. He was just as aloof and hard headed as before, but at least they got along now.

Miras birthday was only a weekend away, and these two had been skipping classes to plan it all out for a month. Adam was sure he would have be sick of Kai by now, especially without Mira around to keep the two of them in check. But he wasn't. In fact he started enjoying cutting class to meet up with his pal. It was almost like they were secret partners in crime. It had been hard keeping all of this from Mira though. But Adam was certain she didnt have the slightest clue as to what was going on. Mira was terrible at keeping stuff like that from him. One time she'd found out he was getting her a VR headset for Christmas and spent the entire two weeks leading up to the gift exchange going on and on about how "if you were to get me a VR headset for Christmas we should get this game to play together...." And "According to TheOGHollower005 on YouTube, this is actually the best model out right now for price and...".  
And Adam was sure if Mira knew what the two were up to she would have exposed herself by now. Probably with something along the lines of "Oh and Stevie Jacobs would be an ideal party guest, you know, if I were to have a birthday party" or something as obvious as that.

The bell for lunch sounded and Adam and Kai took the opportunity to book it out of the closet and shuffle in with the crowd.  
This was another new thing - getting lunch with Kai. He still sat with Miles and their nerdy gaming buddies everyday but the two of them stood in line together. It just made sense, Adam's fourth period was gym, a class he could easily slip in and out of. And Kai had art for fourth period which, as he had put it "Is full of snobs and undeserving of [his] natural talent."  
Besides, it wasnt a credit essential to graduation. Of course Adam had nagged him relentlessly in the begining about his GPA and credibility with the Teachers. To which Kai had laughed in his face,  
"You're such a worry wart! I've fought a dragon with you! And you're worried about my GPA?"  
"I'm just saying, in the long run-"  
Kai couldn't contain his giddiness at the thought of Adam being so serious about school. They were living in a simulation! What did it matter if he graduated when he had superpowers?  
Kai was adamant about not going to his art class. And if this had been the real world Adam would have never cut his gym class to feed into Kais nasty habit of hooky. But he did have a point. He still had his powers, so there was no need to worry over losing his shape before baseball season. He was still the star athlete, still at the top of his class, and a shoo-in for valedictorian. Kai had taught Adam not to care so much, at least, not about such trivial matters like Coach Bensons Gym class.  
So walking to lunch together had become their new norm.  
"-So Mrs. Sabacrou was all like "You can't write a whole paper on computer programming when the topic is "how to save the whales!" To which I replied-"  
"Captivating" Adam interrupted, locking eyes with Mira and waving to her.  
"You arent even listening!" Kai whined.  
"Save the whales. I heard you" he parroted, looking the shorter kid in the eyes.  
"You cut me off before my cool punch line!"  
"Yeah, I'm sure you said something witty and smart and the whole class laughed." Adam smiled, rolling his eyes.  
"For a matter of a fact, they did." Kai defended.  
Adam paid for his lunch and stood by the exit, entertaining Kais ranting for a moment longer.  
When the latter finished paying Adam turned, beginning to make his way to the table.  
"So anyways-" Kai continued, walking right beside him.  
Adam paused, giving him a quizzical look.  
"What?" Kai asked.  
"Nothing it's just... Your table's over there."  
"Oh" Kai blinked "I was just gonna sit with you guys today."  
"Oh." Adam repeated. "Alright. Is everything good between you and Miles?"  
"Yeah it's just, I dont know, we haven't had lunch together in a while."  
Placing his tray down and plopping in his seat next to Mira, Adam let out an exasperated sigh. Kai sat across from the two of them.  
"Oh hey Kai! It feels like forever since the last time you ate lunch with us. Did Miles do something to piss you off?"  
"Why do you guys keep saying that? Cant I just choose to sit with my two best buds?"  
"I bet he's only here for Vanessa" a familiar voice called out from behind Kai.  
"Reeve!" Adam exclaimed, delighted.  
"That's so not true!" Kai defended.  
"Vanessa and I aren't even like that, were just friends!"  
The trio surrounding him took no time in exchanging looks.  
"Hey! I'm serious!" Kai huffed.  
No one ever listens to him.

The rest of the school day passed in a flash. Adam had a really hard time paying attention to his teachers for some reason.  
Probably the excitement of the party  
He reasoned.  
Walking out of the schools front doors Adam spotted Mira immediately. He waved, and slipped through the crowd towards her.  
"Heyyyy" he called, placing his hand on her shoulder.  
She turned towards him, looking distracted, her eyes drawing towards a person in front of her.  
"What's goin on?" He asked, beginning to place himself between her and the unwelcome guest  
"Not much dude! What's goin on with you?" Adam's eyes widened as he felt an arm wrap around his neck and pull him down.  
"Kai!?" Adam exclaimed.  
"Yeah..." Mira glanced between the two of them suspiciously.  
"Yeah?" Kai sounded confused.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Um... I'm Walking? With you guys?"  
"Yeah, but thats the thing-" Mira spoke up "You NEVER walk home with us."  
"Are you feeling all right Kai?" Adam sounded genuinely concerned.  
"Hey! I just left my OneWheel at home, so I figured I might as well walk with you guys today."  
Mira groaned and started making her way down the sidewalk.  
"Alright. But I don't want Miles tagging along! He usually goes to your house after school, and I dont want him bugging Adam and I."  
"Oh you dont have to worry about Miles. I don't think he really wants to be around me anyways".  
"So you two did get in a fight?" Adam raised his eyebrow and sideeyed Kai.  
He was acting a little weird today.  
"Well we weren't at first, but then- yeah. Alright yeah, we're fighting."  
"What'd he do this time?" Mira chimed in.  
"Nothing! He didn't do anything! I'm not really sure why hes mad at me though, its probably nothing."  
"Well," Adam began "Isn't your house on the oppisite side of town?"  
"Yeah but, I can just have Davis pick me up later"  
"Then why not have him pick you up now?" Mira almost sounded annoyed  
"Because," Kai didnt seem to notice Miras growing disdain "I wanted to hang out with my two best buddies! Now come on, whos house are we going to?" He yapped, throwing his arms around their shoulders.  
Mira looked at him, confused.  
"Not mine."  
Kai looked to Adam.  
"Dude I already told you, not my house!"  
Mira gave the two a strange look.  
Unraveling herself from Kais arm she spoke  
"My dad's are taking us to visit my Aunt this weekend. I gotta go home and pack up, didn't Miles say anything about that to you Kai?"  
Kai looked away from her gaze  
"Ohhhhh... That's this weekend? I think he did mention something about it"  
He stood straight, wrapping his arm tighter around Adam  
"Your house it is then!"  
"But my parents-"  
"-Aren't home" Mira cut him off as they arrived to his cul-de-sac, an empty driveway greeting them.  
"Shit.".


	2. Cautious but Curious

"Yeah Mom, I saw the note on the fridge.  
"Yes I have the money for pizza- Mom. Mom I know. Yes I'll do the dishes. Yes mom. Mhmm. Of course."  
Kai giggled from his seat at the kitchen table.  
Adam shot him a stern look.  
"Hey mom, is it alright if Kai comes over for a while?"  
"Ask her if I can spend the night."  
"Dude no way- no mom I'm not talking to you. Yes, I understand. Yeah. Can do."  
They sat in silence as Adams mother took a moment to tell something to him, something that left his face a bright red.  
"Mom! Come on! We are not- Yes! No... Okay fine. I will.  
"I love you too. Bye."  
Hitting the red END CALL button and groaning Adam laid his head in his arms on the table.  
"Sooo, what'd she say?"  
Adam mumbled a response into his arms.  
"Sorry, I don't speak muffled replies" Kai joked.  
Adam sat up, with a face of defeat.  
"She said it's alright if you spend the night"  
"Sweet! What do you want to do first? Play some video games? Or make some prank phone calls? Or - or-"  
"I'm going to do homework." Adam cut him off, standing up and making his way to his room.  
"Laaaame!" Kai called after him. 

Adams parents were out on a "spontaneous date night" as they'd put it. Which, good for them, Adam thought. He was happy that his parents were so in love. That they still kept things interesting despite their decades together. But he wasn't so happy that they decided to do so the one day Kai had followed him home like a stray. It was just his luck, really. Just when he had the opportunity for some peace and quiet and a home to himself, Kai had to swoop in and mess it up.  
But Adam wasn't really that upset. He was certainly acting annoyed. Kai did just invite himself over. And it kinda peeved Adam off that he somehow always got his way. But he didn't really mind the company. Honestly he probably would have been bored to death without Kai there. Mira would be busy packing and Adam didn't really have anything to do after his book report.  
But writing a book report, with a hyperactive freshman around? That was hard.  
"Would you just sit down already?" Adam scolded, looking up to see Kai poking one of his trophies.  
"I've never been in your room before! I can't help it if you have a bunch of shiny objects, my ADHD is flaring!"  
Adam rolled his eyes, shifting his gaze to the unfinished report. He sighed, pushing his chair away from the desk.  
"Whatever. I'm not going to get any work done with you here anyways."  
"Sweet! So what do u wanna do?"  
Kai beamed.  
"I don't know, you wanna watch some cartoons or something?"  
"Come onnnn" Kai whined "We never hang out!"  
"We hang out all the time!"  
"Yeah, with Mira. Show me what you do when she's not glued to your side! Who is Adam?"  
Adam stared at him for a moment. Kai really knew how to push his buttons.  
"If anyones been glued to my side, it's you." He shot back.  
Kai feigned offence "how dare you... Insinuate that I want to be your friend... I would never."  
"So how come you invited yourself to my house?" Adam raised an eyebrow to him.  
"I-I did not! I just-we walked home together! And Mira's busy!"  
"And you really had no clue that Mira and Miles were gonna be leaving?"  
"Of course not" Kai closed his eyes and stuck his nose in the air, crossing his arms and turning away.  
"Kai." Adams voice sounded a little more serious.  
Kai peeked one eye open and looked the brunette up and down.  
"Fine" he said, plopping himself down on Adams bed. "It's just... My parents are home"  
"Yeah?"  
"And I just... Don't want to be around that tonight, you know? I'd rather just hang around you and not all the" he waved his hands in the air, unable to express his frustrations.  
Adam spun his chair to face Kai.  
"Hey," he started, putting his hand on Kai's shoulder "That's chill. Just, tell me next time."  
Kai smiled, a real, soft and genuine smile.  
"Yeah... I probably should have just done that in the first place."  
Adam retracted his limb "So, you knew when we were walking home that Miles and Mira were gonna be out of town for the weekend?"  
Kai eyes widened and looked away. He nodded his head, his shoulders drooping from the guilt.  
"So you and Miles aren't really fighting? Did you just say that so I'd let you come over?"  
Kai winced  
"Of course not! Miles really is mad at me!"  
"What'd you do?"  
"I dont even know! I just saw him in 5th period and he wouldn't talk to me!"  
"Is that normal?"  
"Well, yeah. I guess. He doesn't really like talking things out. He'd rather be mad at me til I realize what I did wrong."  
They sat in silence for a moment.  
"You don't think..." Adam began, realization striking him "that he's mad you sat with us at lunch.  
"Pfft. As if" Kai scoffed "Besides he knows I-" and Kai stopped, snapping his mouth shut.  
Adam gave a questioning look.  
"He knows you...?" He egged on.  
"Nothing!" Kai squeaked "nothing, he just... He knows he's my best friend."  
"And?" Adam pressed, taking note of how defensive Kai was becoming.  
"And, he has no reason to be upset with me." Kai did not seem like he wanted to keep talking about this.  
"If you say so." Adam shrugged, turning to the T.V hanging from his wall and grabbing two controllers off of his desk, tossing one to Kai.  
"Wanna play Smash or something?" Adam suggested.

Adam always went big for Miras birthday. Whether it was her favorite snacks paired with a friend date to whatever lame fancy restaurant she wanted to try out or taking her to the Mall and Buying her whatever she picked, it was Adam's responsibility as her best friend to go big for her special day.  
But he'd never done a party.  
Mira wasn't really the party type, and there was no way they'd ever host one at either of their homes.  
But... Kai's parents weren't going to be in town. Adam hadn't even started planning Miras B-day gift when Kai had approached him, handed him a notebook he "borrowed" and sped off. Adam knew better than to open it right away, which was pretty smart considering Mira was standing right next to him and in big blue ink on the first page read "MIRA CAN NOT SEE THIS".  
Inside was a detailed party plan for her birthday. Adam was a little taken aback at first, but as he flipped through it he started noticing all the minor mess ups. Like, getting pink balloons, when Blue was Miras favorite color. Or an Ice Cream cake when she preferred red velvet. Small things like that. Before Adam could hunt down Kai the next day at school the freshman had managed to cling to his backpack the moment he stepped through the door.  
"Hey Adam! Did you read that thing I gave you?" The brunette turned to him  
"Actually I did and-"  
"Hey guys!" Miras voice came from down the hall  
"Never mind, let's talk later." Adam hushed and rushed to greet her.  
It was shortly after that the two had arranged a meeting, during class (much to Adams disdain), to discuss all the discrepancies in Kai's plan. It was only supposed to be one meeting but they just kept coming up with ways to perfect it. That and they spent most of their time cutting class together talking about pretty much anything but the party. 

Promptly kicking Kais ass, Adam leaned back into his seat with a smug grin.  
"Guess video games aren't really your strong point" he joked.  
"That's no fair! You guarded the edge the whole time! That's not strategy, that's cheap game play!"  
"Hey, if edge guarding bothers you so much, you should learn how to play against it" Adam remarked, with a condescending tone.  
"Whatever," Kai rolled his eyes "What else do you have to play?"  
"Oh- uh," Adam looked to his shelf "Well I have Mario Kart, and Animal crossing, Street fighter and-"  
"Woah! Is this Ocarina of time? A total classic!"  
Adam turned to see Kai holding his switch and scrolling through his games.  
He quickly snatched it from him.  
"Careful! This baby's retro! A relic from another time, an original switch." He held it close to his chest, coddling it like an infant.  
Kai chuckled.  
"Didn't realize you were such a -uh, controller" a proud smile took over Kai's face as he held up the blue joycon.  
Adam stared blankly, unamused.  
"How did you get that?" Adam looked to his Switch and noticed the missing component "You know no one likes your puns, right?"  
"Perhaps this is the exception Switch proves the rule."  
Adam stifled a chuckle. That one was a little clever.  
"Really? With the bad puns? We went a whole day without one, I thought you'd outgrown them by now."  
"Switch ain't over til the fat lady sings"  
"Whatever Switch Boy, do you wanna play or not?"  
Kai's eyes went wide as he threw himself back in a fit of laughter.  
"I get it!!" He huffed through his chuckles "It's like 'rich boy'!" he continued to roll around, clutching his sides as tears threatened to spill.  
Adam smiled. There was something weird about seeing Kai just lose it. Over a stupid pun none the less.  
But something about the way Kais face lit up made Adam want to tell him a million more. He seemed so happy. So.. Comfortable.  
"Alright, alright" Adam casted his screen to the tv. "It's not really multiplayer but... I suppose we can take turns on the dungeons."  
Kai calmed himself down, slowly sitting up and grabbing the controller he'd tossed out of his hand and onto the bed.  
"Pfft. Alright, I can do that." He still had a huge smile plastered on his face.

They'd only gotten half way through the tutorial when the bell rang.  
Adam stood up "It's probably the pizza guy" he disconnected his joycon "You think you can handle this while I grab the pizza?"  
"Handle the tutorial? Yeah I'll try, who knows... Maybe I'll get trapped in a small hole and suffocate." Kai said sarcastically, looking back to the screen with an eye roll.  
Adam shook his head and headed downstairs. Taking a peak out of the kitchen window as he'd passed, he took note of the setting sun. 

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Adam asked, placing the box of pizza on his bed and taking a slice.  
Kai looked up from the game "like, right now?"  
"Well, we can eat some pizza first. But the sun's setting and it looks really nice out."  
"Sure, I guess." Kai grabbed a slice of pepperoni and began scarfing it down.  
"Dude - slow down! You're gonna be sick!"  
"No way man. This is the only proper way to eat pizza" he mumbled through cheese and bread.  
"Gross man, dont talk with your mouth open." Adams scrunched his nose in disgust.  
"Hey I've been meaning to ask..." Kai spoke up, swallowing his food "Where's your butler?"  
Adam blinked. He couldnt have heard him right.  
"You're joking right?"  
"...no."  
"You do realize most people dont have butlers, right?"  
"That's not true! All of the kids in my neighborhood have one!"  
Adam gave him a look, and took another bite of his pizza.  
"No way... You really don't have a butler."  
"Nope, Sir Dukes retired last year and took his pension to Miami where he's now living it up as an exotic dancer."  
"..."  
"No! Christ, I dont have a butler. I've never had a butler."  
"But then who cooks for you?"  
"My mom"  
"And Cleans?"  
"We all kinda help out with that."  
"Who picks you up from practice? And reads you bedtime stories? And-"  
"My parents."  
"Oh."  
They fell into an uncomfortable silence.  
"Does your butler read you bed time stories?" Adam asked, a bit amused.  
"What? Of course not! I'm 14! I'm not a baby you know"  
"What ever you say baby" Adam teased.  
It came out a little awkward though and Kai didn't seem to have a witty reply to throw back at him. Instead he took another slice of pizza, stuffing his face and fleeing the conversation.  
Adam cleared his throat "But you've been over to Mira's house before? They don't have a butler."  
"That's not true! Miles told me their butler was just on vacation in Florida and -" Kai stopped in his tracks, realization flooding over him "he was joking, wasn't he?" He asked in a small voice.  
Adam couldn't contain his laughter. Kai was just, sooo naive!  
"Hey! It's not my fault my parents are rich! How am I supposed to know what normal kids do and don't have?"  
Adam laughed harder. Seriously? Who was this kid? Doesn't know most people don't have butlers? I mean really, how ignorant was he?  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Adam began as his giggles died down "it's just, silly to me is all."  
"Well I'm glad you take so much amusement at my lack of understanding of your" Kai waved his hand dismissively "commoners lifestyle"  
Adam broke out laughing again.  
"Youre doing this on purpose!" He hollered, clutching his sides  
Kai cracked a sly grin.  
"Okay... Maybe that one was on purpose."

It was dark out when they'd finally made it outside. Kai began walking down the side walk as Adam headed to the back of his house.  
"Follow me" he called to the redhead, as he made his way to woods.  
Jogging up to him Kai seemed nervous.  
"The woods? At night? You know for such an avid gamer you sure don't seem to recognize the trademarks of an indie horror."  
Adam just marched foward.  
"I have to show you something... Just follow me."  
Reaching the edge of the woods Adam made his way down a worn path.  
Kai took the time to think about how an older kid he's played a video game with twice and had never hung out with alone outside of school before, how this near stranger was leading him into the woods. At night.  
"I'm gonna die." Kai whispered to himself, staring at the ground.  
"Oof!" a low grunt came from in front of Kai as he crashed into Adam.  
"Watch where you're going kid."  
Kai looked up to him bewildered.  
Nah, he thought, Adam wouldn't kill him.  
Probably.  
Adam pushed aside a stray tree branch  
"Tadaaa" he chimed with a good bit of flair, waving his arm and unveiling a wooden fort.  
"... What's this?" Kai asked, cautious but curious.  
"Mira and I's fort. Pretty cool right? We built it ourselves when we were twelve" he put his hand on the structure and leaned against it. "Pretty sturdy."  
Kai didn't speak. He stood there staring, wide eyed and mouth agape. He threw his hand to his mouth as tears pricked his eyes.  
"Woah woah woah!" Adam stepped towards him to console him "What's wrong dude?"  
"It's nothing..." He sniffled "I'm just, suprised you showed me this is all."  
Adams hand found its way to his neck, rubbing it nervously.  
"Well it's nothing really... Just some old plywood we put up. It's kinda cool on the inside though. You wanna see?"  
Kai just nodded.  
Stepping inside they were greeted with darkness.  
"Hold on" Adam grumbled, fumbling around in the pitch back.  
And with a *click* they were illuminated by star-shaped fairy lights.  
"Woah!" Kai couldn't hold back his amazement as he looked around  
"You guys have a minifridge out here?!" He exclaimed.  
"Yeah, we've got a generator out on the side, but we haven't used it in ages." Adam reminisced.  
"This is so cool!" Kai darted around the 8 by 8 enclosure. "Are these comic books? Sick!"  
Adam smiled proudly as Kai explored their shelves stocked with nicnaks and small treasures.  
"This isn't even the best part" Adam spoke up "come on," he made his way to the door "I've got something to show you."  
Going further down the trail for a couple of minutes Adam took a sharp right, cutting through a bush.  
"Wait up!" Kai looked at the brush blocking his path, carefully pushing as much of it as he could to the side.  
Looking up he was met with a breath taking view. A small clearing littered with wildflowers.  
He stared at Adam, who was well deep within the overgrown grass. He looked up to the sky to see it filled with stars.  
Adam waved at him, catching his eye, before taking a step back and disappearing in the grass.  
"Adam!" Kai yelled, dashing to where his friend had just been. As he got there his foot failed to find solid ground, causing him to trip and fall to his knees.  
Adam's laughter caught him off gaurd as he looked up to see him holding his hand out.  
"Watch your step" he mused. Kai stared at him for a moment... A rather long moment actually, before pushing off the ground himself and looking around.  
The sound of frogs echoed over the lake before him, soft sand cascaded down as Kai wiped his hands on his jeans.  
"Where are we?" Kai asked, his attention captivated with his surroundings. Looking around he watched as fireflies danced across the water. As frogs hopped from lily pads and shivered as the wind from the lake chilled him.  
"Its just a lake. Mira and I spend most of our summers here." At least they used to, Adam thought, before Mira went all Dating-Crazed on him last summer. It'd been a while since he sat in front of this water. Just listening to the hum of the cicadas. Looking at the stars and getting lost in his thoughts.  
"Hey look! There's Orions belt!" Kai pointed "So that means..." he moved his hand through the air "There's the little dipper!"  
Adam followed his gaze.  
"Oh... Woah! There it is!" Adam was impressed.  
"That's pretty cool kai" he praised.  
Kais smile beamed.  
"So... do you know that because of your power?" Adam wondered aloud.  
Kai shot him a confused look.  
"How does this" he sparked a small flame in his hand "equate to me knowing star formations?"  
Adam scoffed at him  
"Not those powers! Obviously I'm talking about your know it all abilities!"  
"Ohhh" Kai killed his fire "Yeah, no, actually I know it cause my dad's an astronomer. He kinda taught me all about the constellations when I was a kid." He chuckled nervously "kinda the only thing he really taught me."  
There was a bit of... bitterness, in his voice. Adam gave him a sympathetic look.  
"That's pretty cool... My dad's just a teacher. He taught me how to research for papers and stuff, which is like, kinda useful."  
Kai stared at the water, his eyes glazed over, like he was someplace else.  
"But... Because my dads a teacher I felt like I had to overachieve at everything"  
Kai looked to him this time.  
"You? An over achiever? I never would have guessed." he teased, the corners of his mouth beginning to twist upwards.  
Adam grinned, elated to see Kais demeanour begin to shift back to his usual self.  
"Yeah. I'd push myself every time to give 110%. Sure I got the good grades and a spot on any of the sports teams. But all I wanted was my dad's approval. And I nearly worked myself to death for it." Adams face fell, he didn't mean to open up this much, he just wanted to make Kai feel more comfortable. To coax him into talking about his parents. But now he was getting into unfamiliar territory. He was talking too much. He shouldn't have said anything. Stupid Adam, always ruining things with his stupid words and-  
"So what happened?" Kai asked, his voice soft.  
Adam swallowed the lump in his throat  
"I'm not sure you want to hear that story. Actually, why don't you tell me something about yourself" Adam turned to him "Maybe something about your parents?"

The water was still. The buzz of insects fresh on the breeze and stars reflecting on the pond. Kai was at peace, oddly enough. He was scared shitless of a lot of things. The dark, for one. Bugs, the crawly kind that like to jump out at you at night (or, and Kai shuddered at the thought, ticks). Woods were never fun. He'd almost been killed in woods quite a few times , actually. But, that was in game. He was here, right now, experiencing something he'd never felt before. A wave of self awareness. A motion of consciousness and a rush of endorphins. He felt alive, and whether it was because he was defying all the scary things that kept him from enjoying his life, or just some glitch that resulted in sentience, he felt the cold air in his lungs and the heat on his face. He felt the terrified tremors shake through him and his heart pound in his chest.  
Why was it beating so fast?  
"My parents..." Kai stared over the waters. They were so peaceful. So calm. The lily pads floated along, swaying in place as fish swam pass. How many fish were in there? What kind of fish landed in this landlocked lake, how long had they been there? How old was this recreation of Adams memory - How many of their memories were stored in the game, how could the devs know-"  
"Kai!" Adam waved his hand in front of his face.  
Kai blinked and looked back to him, shifting his gaze from the water.  
"Yeah?"  
"What are you thinking of when you do that?" Adam tilted his head, his voice dripping with curiosity and maybe a hint of endearment.  
"Not... Much." Kai looked away again. He could never keeps his eyes focused on people, eye contact just made him so uncomfortable! Eyes are so intimidating. It's not his fault he gets lost in his - I'm doing it again, Kai panicked. He tries to tune in to what Adam is saying.  
"...you alright?" Adam is sitting up in the sand now, putting himself in Kai's line of sight.  
"Yeah. Yeah, sometimes I'll - I get distracted. My attention just starts to drift and..." Kai squinted at something just pass Adams shoulder. A glowing... shape, dancing on the water? Hopping from Lily pad to Lily Pad.  
He rubbed his eyes.  
"Kai!" Adam moved closer, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him a bit  
"Look" Kai blurted  
"What?"  
"Look!" Kai shot a flame from his palm at the creature. The teens watched in amazement as the ball of gas illuminated the water it dashed past, light catching on Lily pads, frogs and -  
Adams eyes widened  
"Is that a Fairy?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. Gosh!!! I had a LOT of fun writing this. I was gonna save it for next week but... Connor Parnall (Kais voice actor) just, feeds the Kaidam flames. King wants what we all want  
> Also! Intro to angst!! Another cliffhanger!!!  
> I put a lot of headcanons in here, but I'm excited to let them play out. I think I can compliment these characters pretty well!! I'll add just enough spice to fill in those gaps of knowledge.  
> I know my writings pretty dialogue heavy, I'll try and take a break from that a bit next chapter. But I can't help it, whenever I have these two together they gotta bicker or unknowingly flirt!  
> Anyways - tysm for reading and to those of u that commented ~ this site is so positive?? I'm used to middle schoolers yelling at me for being ooc or adding a hc they don't like. Y'all are refreshing.  
> Xoxo ~ Ness!
> 
> Ps. Adam's an Nintendo main. Got a game boy on his shelf like a true og. Also, how dare I take this long to have Kai crack a bad pun! Illegal.
> 
> Pps. I'm so fuckin tireddd


	3. Unbelievable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the two bicker at a slumber party.

***schlop schlop schlop schlop***

Wet shoes hit the concrete

***schlop schlop schlop schlop***

Repetitive with a steady pace

***schlop schlop schlop schlop***

And with each step Adam was only getting more pissed.

***schlop schlop schl-***

"Fucking christ-" he yelled, stopping in middle of the side walk to chuck his shoes off and into a neighbor's bush.

"I'm pretty sure it's called shrubbery, not shoe-bbery" Kai chuckled

A wet sock pelted him in the face

"DUDE GROSS!" He exclaimed, throwing the disgusting apparel to the ground.

"That joke was gross" Adam told him dryly.

Kai trailed behind Adam, wringing his hands.

"You know" he began, finally breaking the unbearable silence

"You could have gotten us killed back there."

Adam whirled around, his mouth open as he went to reprimand him. Before closing it and turning his head away.

"Okay, so you're gonna ignore me" Kai wasn't usually the one to lose his patience "Soak my shirt in mud, throw a wet sock in my face and then give me a dose of the silent treatment. Well uh- Paging Dr. Strong-headed, I'm good on the medicine." He didn't understand why Adam was so frustrated, if anything he should be the one stomping away! No, he thought, he wasn't really mad at Adam for his shirt, or even the sock. If anything he was mad at him because of his stupid instincts.

Adam reached his front door, and threw it open, promptly breaking it off its hinges. He just looked at it and sighed, before making his way up the stairs. Kai stepped passed the broken door, wincing when he thought of what Adams parents might do when they find it. He looked at the splintered frames, unfond memories flooding back to him. The sound of loud punk music and a running shower drew Kai from those thoughts in the nick of time. Adam seemed pissed.

Kai decided the best place to sit and wait was Adams room. With his restless hands clawing at each other in his lap and the muffled music blending with the hum of the cicadas outside, he found himself in a weird place. He'd never really spent the night at another person's house. Most of his friends demanded to spend the night at his, so being in another person's home for this long was strange. Yet oddly peaceful? Something about the laundry pile in the corner and the pile of plates on the desk made him feel at home. More so than even at his place. It felt like someone lived in this house. No maids and butlers to wipe every mess made out of existence. No spying eyes waiting to snitch you out to your parents. He felt comfortable. But also uneasy. Adam was obviously very mad at him, and by the tone of his music taste he seemed to be brooding some resentment. But it really wasn't Kais fault! All he'd done was recuse the idiot from killing himself!

The door swung open and Adam stepped in, a towel around his shoulders, dressed in a pair of boxers and another gaming tee. "That's the fit?" Kai gave a half hearted grin, hoping to alleviate some of the tension. Adam glared at him and moved to his desk, switching his computer on. Kai scoffed.

"Ya know, there could have been parasites in that pond. That's still water, the perfect breeding ground for things that want to bury in your skin and hitch a ride! Or you could have stepped on glass, or-"

"I'm not a child, I would have been fine!" Adam raised his volume, startling Kai.

"How do you know that! And why do you get to be mad at me for helping you? I was worried! You just jumped in and swam after it, anything could have happened, and there was no way you would have caught up to her"

"If you didn't swoop out of the fucking sky to pull me out I would have gotten to her just fine! Besides, I have every right to be mad! There's no way we'll figure out what happened now. And you're the one who threw away that chance!"

"Dude, what are you talking about" Kai looked at him with disbelief "we're two thirds of the best hollow team out there, half the game's genre is mystery. And you don't think we can figure out why there was a fairy at the pond?"

Adam squinted at him, debating whether or not Kai was just spewing bullshit. He sighed, "You've got a point Kai."

"I do... Of course I do! Once we tell Mira about this we'll be unstoppable! Woohoo! The undefeated trio is back in business!" Kai pumped his fists in the air, Adam winced.

"Don't call us that. And no, we can't tell her-"

"What? Why not?"

"Because it's almost her birthday! I don't want to ruin her mood with the game bugging before her big day."

Kai gave him a look "I don't know... I think it'd be better if we told her. We work better as a team."

"Kai" Adam put a hand on his shoulder "Please just wait until we at least figure out what's going on. I'd hate to get her worked up over something that could just be a glitch."

Kai looked to Adams hand on his shoulder, felt the pressure of his firm squeeze, and suddenly felt very compelled to agree.

"Okay"

he let out in a bit of an awkward, high pitched voice. He cleared his throat " I mean, yeah we can wait. She's not gonna be here all weekend anyways, no point in making her stress when she's not even in town."

Adam smiled. "Okay, we can start tomorrow. I think we ought to head to The Hollow building. We might be able to find some clues there."

"Really? Why dont we go back to the pond and hunt down the fae?"

"Fairy. And I doubt she's still there. Besides, if she's really from the hollow then there's gotta be someway she's connected to that building."

"I think that's a bit of a stretch."

"If you really want, we can hunt down the fairy afterwards." Adam compromised. Kai rolled his eyes

 _'if I want'_ he thought.

"Anyways" Adam made his way to his closet, tossing Kai a pillow and blanket "We should get some rest. It's getting pretty late. Did you want to hop in the shower."

"No, its fine, I didnt bring a pair of clothes.

"Oh thats okay, you can borrow a pair of mine."

"No it's fine I-" Adam pointed to his muddy shirt. "I guess you're probably right."

Adams shirt was way too big. Kai was drowning in it, and the smell of his cologne. But Kai didn't really mind either of those things. It was comfy, and, hell, he needed to ask Adam what cologne he used. This shit smelt good.

"Oh, hey" Adam sat up in his bed as Kai reentered the room. Adam gave him a once-over before grinning

"That's the fit?" He mocked

The redhead suddenly felt very awkward. His lanky limbs were swallowed by the fabric, he felt like he must look like a child. Instead of offering a snarky one liner Kai chose to set up his spot on the floor. He plopped his stuff down next to Adams bed. Tucking himself in and staring at the ceiling Kai was met with a very awkward silence.

"Ya know, this is my first sleepover." He whispered, not fully intending for Adam to hear.

He shot up in bed "What?"

Kai peeped at him from under the covers, unsure if he should repeat himself.

"Did you say this is your first sleepover?"

The redhead sat in silence for a moment before uttering a soft "yeah."

Adam looked at him in bewilderment. "No fucking way dude. You're 14 and you've never been to a sleepover?"

"Well - yeah? I've had people spend the night at my house but never the other way around"

"That's sad."

Kai chucked his pillow at him

"Is not!" He defended.

Adam shook his head and chuckled. "Nah dude, you've never slept on another person's floor? And" Adam paled for a moment "Shit - this was your first one and I got in a fight with you. I'm sorry Kai. That must have been really uncomfortable." He gave him an apologetic look.

"It's fine" Kai smiled "Better than my house anyways"

Adam offered a pity grin at the oddly sad joke. He laid back down

"Do you mind if I ask about your parents? You always joke about how much they argue and stuff but... I don't know how much of it's serious or just a joke at this point."

Kai froze. He really, _really_ , did not want to talk about his parents.

"Oh, they're fine. You know. Typical parents, they can be at each others throats sometimes but over all they're there." Lying was second nature to Kai. Comes with overbearing parents who expect you to be the ideal heir to their corporation.

"What about yours?" He followed up quickly, hoping to change the topic.

"Well, I've already told you about mine a bit. My mom's pretty cool, my dad can be kind of strict but I know it's just because he loves me."

"That's a nice way to look at it." Kai thought out loud, trying to imagine a world where his parents put as much pressure as they did on him out of love. The thought made him a bit sad.

"Hey, so why'd you cry when we got to the fort?" Adam continued to prod.

Kai was not used to being asked this many questions about himself. He felt uneasy, like he was being put on the spot.

"I- well I-" he started to stutter, losing his momentum the more he spoke.

"Hey" Kai looked to Adam at the sound of his voice "It's okay if you don't wanna tell me. It was just strange is all. I was just wondering if you're all right."

That made Kai's chest hurt.

It was weird that Adam cared about him. Even just to ask if he was okay was alien to Kai.

"I've just, never really had any close friends. Everyone at school either sucks up to me because they know I'm rich or they bully me because they think I'm a loser... When you showed me your fort it just felt like you were sharing something with me. Like... A secret that only you and Mira knew." Adam looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Kai felt the sudden urge to crack a joke, to diffuse the stiffness in the air he'd caused.

"Ha ha but that's just-"

"- I'm sorry Kai."

Kais eyes blew wide open.

"What? What are you apologizing for? I'm the one who made the conversation sad!"

"That's not your fault! I asked! Besides, I don't think it's bad to talk about sad things. I'm apologizing because I'm sorry that you have so many shitty people in your life"

Kai was even more confused "What?"

This concept was foreign to him. Talking? About unpleasant emotions? He could hardly get a word in edge wise with his happy stories when regaling to his parents. No way people actually cared to hear about his unbearable sadness.

"Yeah dude, it's healthy. Do you not talk to anyone about this stuff? Have you not told your parents about the bullies? And why even keep those leeches in your life when you've got me and Mira?"

Kai shook his head

"Why on earth would I tell my parents? My father would probably just tell me to man up or something equally toxic. And my mom? She'd just brush it off."

Kai scoffed at the notion. Like he could tell his parents anything.

"Christ Kai" Adam raised his voice "At least tell a teacher or something!"

Kai rolled his eyes

"Yeah, and be labeled as a snitch? No way, I've got a big enough target on my back."

Adam looked at him seriously for a moment.

"Who are they?"

"W-What?" Kai sputtered, the question catching him off gaurd.

"Who are they? I'm gonna have a talk with these kids."

He sounded very stern all of a sudden.

Kai looked at him with an odd grin on his face. "You're unbelievable Adam."

"Why? Because I want to set the record straight with some bullies?"

"It's so weird how much you care." Kai looked at him quizzically. "Did Mira set you up to this?"

"You're the one who's unbelievable Kai. I'm here, being a good friend, and you sense deception." His look softened. "Listen, I just wanna talk. I promise I won't beat up your pals."

"Fine! I'll point them out to you at lunch on Monday. But when I get the shit beaten out of me, my blood's on your hands"

"Deal" Adam smirked.

The two stayed up for a few hours after that, chatting away about about school, local happenings, and the occasional heated video game debates.

It was nice, Kai thought, he was having a really good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - so!! Sorry this shits so damn late. I got a job!! And Ive been attending protests!!! So please bear with me im these wild times.  
> Also! Who do y'all think will fall for the other first? Originally I was planning on making Adam the first to develop feelings, but the more I write this the more I feel like Kai would be the first to fall... Idek at this point. Lemme know what y'all think!


	4. Further Disorient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> these losers talk too much smh

Kai woke up with a throbbing pain in his back. As his vision cleared he looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings, trying to figure out where the hell he was.  
"Morning" Adam looked over at him from his gaming chair.  
Oh yeah, Kai thought, he was at Adams house.  
He sat there for a moment.  
"The fairy!" He exclaimed, remembering the issue at hand.   
"Heck - Adam, we have to-"  
"After this game" Adams eyes were transfixed to his screen.  
Kai snapped his mouth shut. He could taste his bad breath.  
"I'm - I'm gonna go to the bathroom" he stood up, immediately regretting leaving the comforts of his covers.   
He made quick work gargling some mouth wash and dug into his backpack for his axe. His bed head was embarassing. He hoped Adam hadn't noticed it's pitiful state. Combing out the knots he glanced in the mirror, realizing he was still wearing Adams shirt.  
It wasn't like he had much else to change in to.

"You ready?" Adam asked, lacing up his shoes.  
Kai looked at him   
"Ready as I'll ever be" he shrugged with a forced grin.  
He wasn't really sure what awaited them, and if he was honest he was a bit scared to find out.

As they made their way out of the home Kai stared in awe at the door, which had somehow magically repaired itself.  
"Yeah... The game kind of, does that" Adam said sheepishly, looking away from him. Kai wondered how he'd figured that out.

By the time they'd gotten all their belongings together and stealthily snatched a breakfast from the kitchen the sun was high in the sky.  
"Can't I just call Davis and have him take us there in the limo?"  
"You don't seriously have a Limo do you?" Adam asked in disbelief. Before Kai could answer Adam shook his head "Never mind, I dont want to know the answer to that."  
"But no" Adam continued, walking ahead of Kai down the side walk "we can't take a car there, especially not something as flashy as a limo. It'll be easier for us to get away on foot."  
Kai threw his arm in front of him in a weak attempt to block the sun from his eyes.  
Today was gonna be long.

They spent the walk in jest, stopping for ice cream on their way to the hollow building, and finally, after what had seemed like an eternity of walking, it was finally in their sights.

"Ya know, I've been thinking a lot about that Fairy." Adam began.  
Kai responded with a healthy dose of sarcasm "Oh really, that's so funny cause I haven't thought about it once, not a single time."  
Adam glared at him. "I'm serious Kai." He continued "It just, doesn't make any sense... How could it have gotten here?"  
"Well its just a fae. They're totally harmless. Doesn't seem like there's much to worry about."  
"Yeah, but how did it get in our world? It's been months and we haven't seen any other signs of The Hollow. Why would she leak into Hollow Life? How could she?"  
"I think you're reading too much into this. The game devs could have just placed her here for shits and giggle. It was only in Alpha stage."  
"But that doesn't make any sense! It's a life sim! There shouldn't be Hollow characters."  
Kai shrugged his shoulders  
"An ambitious crossover perhaps?"  
Adam's brows furrowed.  
"We need to get into that building. It's the only way we're gonna find answers."  
"Well, alright. We're breaking and entering. Again... Is this gonna become a thing? Like, are you going to whisk me away from the comforts of my home every weekend to solve some sort of mystery? Will it always involve breaking and entering?"  
Adam rolled his eyes and began making his way to the building  
"Hey, wait up!" Kai called, running after him.  
Adam pushed at the glass doors entrance, it didn't budge.  
Of course, Adam thought, things were never easy.  
"Perfect!" Kai was a bit too gleeful  
"Looks like we'll just have to come back and -"  
Adam swung his leg at the door, promptly knocking it off it's hinges.  
"I keep forgetting how good you are at that" Kai groaned.  
As they made their way inside nothing spectacular caught their eyes, really it was just the same as they'd left it.  
Kais attention was drawn to the posters of the victors of the game, the blank space they'd been meant to fill still empty.  
As Adam rummaged through the rooms Kai was transfixed by the emptiness. He was sure they'd won the game, though he didn't have any real memories of it. No, rather, they'd all awoke from the confusion of the game into further disorient. What's more strange than waking in a world you don't know with strangers at your side than waking with all the memories of your life in an even stranger knock off version of it.  
If Kai wasnt so sure of his sentience he might have gone off the deep end by now.  
There was another Kai out there, living his real life. One with a poster to look at when he passed through these halls. A poster with his victory on it for the world to see.   
"Hey Kai" Adam called precautiously "I think I found something"  
Kai turned quick and dashed to Adam, terrified but thrilled to discover this new puzzle piece with him.  
It was just like before when they'd played together, Kais heart always sped up when Adam had a clue to share with him. He liked the way Adam's eyes lit up as he explained his theories as to what it could mean.  
He really liked playing with Adam.  
"Look at this" Adam held up a...  
"A vikings helmet?"  
Now this was just getting weirder  
"Hey... Didn't Brynhilda have a helmet just like this?" Adam muttered, his face twisted in confusion.  
"HEY!" A loud voice boomed from down the hall "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?"   
The pair turned just in time to see a guard bolting straight towards them.  
Adam tucked the helmet in his bag before grabbing Kais hand and making a break for it, dashing back towards the front door.  
"Oh hey" Kai realized breathless "Isn't that... The same gaurd... As last time?" He gasped through breaths as they made their get away.   
Adam just shook his head  
"Now isnt the time to be analyzing all the acquaintances we've made" he yelled back to him.   
Kai felt Adams hand squeeze his own as they passed through the doorway, after so many twists and turns he was sure they'd lost the woman. But Adams hand still clung to Kais, their legs still carrying them foward at top speed.  
As they made it out of the parking lot, down the street and round a few corners Adam finally started to slow his pace, finally coming to a stop in front of Kais favorite donut shop.   
"That was close" Adam huffed, turning to Kai with a dash of fear in his eyes.  
"You're all right, right? Like, you didn't get hurt or anything"  
Kais face was flush from running, his lungs fresh out of air. As he heaved he offered a weak thumbs up.  
Adam smiled and ruffled Kais hair.  
"Pfft, that's what I thought. As if she coulda caught up with us."  
Kai smiled, his breathing starting to return to normal. Something about the way Adam made them out to be some unstoppable duo made Kais heart feel fuzzy.  
He was just so glad to have such a genuine friend.  
"Do you wanna get some donuts?" Kai asked with a grin.  
Adam looked to the door, looked back to Kai, and then down to their hands.  
Which, Kai realized in horror, were still clasped together, their fingers interwoven.  
Kai ripped his hand from Adams as he realized, wiping his sweaty palm off on his shirt.  
"Haha, sorry about that" he babbled nervously "honestly I forgot we were still holding hands."  
Adam smirked, and reached past Kai, whos eyes widened in anticipation.  
He twisted around the shorted boy and held the door open for him.  
"After you, m'lady" he joked, pretending to tilt a fedora to Kai.  
Kai just chuckled and walked past him, making his way to the counter.   
"I'll have the regular please" the ginger said with a cocky grin. Adam rolled his eyes.  
"Two eclairs please."  
The cashier looked between the two of them, and settled her eyes on Adam.  
"So are you two,, together?" She asked, motioning between the two.  
"Yes!" Kai piped, answering before thinking of the connotation behind the remark.  
The cashier just gave them a big grin and read them their total. Kai dug into his - well, Adams - shorts and pulled out his wallet, paying for the both of them.  
The girl behind the counter turned with a knowing grin and made her way to the back.  
Adam turned to Kai  
"You didn't have to pay for me, you know?"  
Kai just shrugged.  
"No its fine, I'm used to it."  
Kai flinched at Adams sad expression.   
"Besides!" He gleamed "It's not like I can't afford it"  
Adam went to retort his statement, ready to go off on how Kai wasn't always responsible for picking up others tabs, when the donut chick returned.  
"Here you are" she said with a smile, handing Kai the box. "I threw in a little extra treat for you two, I hope you enjoy it" she said with a wink befire slinking back into the back of the store.  
"That was weird" Kai said aloud, making his way to patio area out front.  
Adam had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was going on.  
As Kai set down the donuts Adam leaned back in his seat. If what he thought was in the box was really there then he and Kai were about to have something to laugh about for the next week.   
Adam watched Kai expectantly as he opened the box, eager to watch the boy pale in realization.  
Except... That wasn't the reaction Kai had.  
In fact, Adam noted, Kais face was full of color. Or, at least one.  
Adam was curious now, "so what's the special suprise?"  
Kai gulped and twisted the box to face him.  
Sure enough, two heart shaped donuts stared back at them.  
Kai snatched the box off the table, "I'm going to return these and make it clear to her that you and I are NOT dating!" He declared, beginning to make his way back into the store. Adam grabbed his wrist as he passed, locking eyes as he asked "why?"  
Kais face grew even redder.  
"B-because!" He threw his free arm in the air "because we aren't!!"  
"Yeah but like" Adam looked at the donuts "we got free donuts"  
Kai squinted his eyes as he processed this information.  
He sat back down and thought for a moment, as Adam reached in the box and pulled out one of his eclairs.  
"Doesn't it make you... Uncomfortable?" Kai asked after a moment.  
Adam gave him a confused look as he took another bite.  
"What? People thinking were dating?"  
"Yes!" Kai exclaimed, a bit exasperated.  
"Well, no. Not if it means we get free stuff. Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?"  
Kai sat dumb founded for a moment, unsure of how to appropriately respond.  
"N-no I guess not" he mumbled after a moment. He reached for one of the heart shaped donuts, taking a bite and relishing in the flavor.  
"Especially not when it tastes that good" he spoke through a mouthful of chocolate and dough.   
"Gross" Adam remarked, though he didn't seem very grossed out. If Kai were to be honest it came off kind of... Endearing?  
Kai giggled as he took another bite.  
This was fun.  
Kai looked to Adam, who just so happened to be staring him in the eyes. The both of them looked away, glanced back, and then looked away again.  
"Hey so um I-"  
"So I've been meaning to-  
They both stopped talking as they realized theyre were speaking over the other.  
"You go first"  
They said in unison.  
"No, I insist -" they stared at each other wide eyed in disbelief, before breaking out in a fit of laughter.  
"Ya know, todays been surprisingly fun Kai" Adam spoke up as their chuckles died down.  
Kai's face lit up "I was just thinking the same thing!"  
"Actually" he continued "this whole weekend's been really fun. I'm kind of suprised. I didn't think we could get along this well."  
"Well" Adam grinned, all knowing and ready to drop his sage advice "when you've been through as much as we've been through together, you kinda have to get along"  
And as happy as that should have made Kai feel all it really did was make him sad. And Adam certainly took note of how his face fell as he said it.  
"Hey" Kai said, in a bit of a softer voice "do you think.... Do you think we're friends out there? In real life I mean?"  
Adam now understood.  
He shook his head  
"Kai, Kai, Kai" he nagged "You really need to stop referring to it as 'real life'"  
"Yeah but!-"  
"No buts! We're just as real as our fleshy counterparts!"  
Kai looked off to the sky, unable to show Adam the unbearable saddness in his eyes.  
"Kai look at me" Adam demanded.  
Kai glanced at him, the sorrow disappearing from his gaze for a moment.   
"What do you see?"  
Kai grinned into his palm "a loser" he shot at him, quite proud of himself.  
Adam rolled his eyes "Im serious Kai, tell me what you see."  
Kai sighed "well, I see you."  
"And?" Adam encouraged   
"Well... I see the table, and our donuts, which are still just as good."  
"Yeah?"  
"And I see the sky"  
"Whats it look like?" Adam challenged  
"Well, its blue. But... It looks like the suns starting to set. Like its just about to be golden hour." Kai looked to the giant donut sign, where he could just make out the carved letters "K wuz here" he smiled to himself, starting to see what Adam was getting at.  
"I guess it is all pretty much the same" Kai felt kinda happy about that.  
"So..." Adam was trying to get some point across here. Something more than just 'our lives are more than a cheap imitation'. Kai thought back to what hed asked him, before nearly smacking himself at his own stupidity.  
"So we're probably friends."  
Adam grinned.  
"And even if we weren't" he spoke "I'm sure we will be. Cause that other Adam really doesn't know what hes missing" he shot with a playful wink and finger gun.  
Adam really knew how to put Kais mind at ease.  
Kais attention turned from Adam to a pair of strangers quickly approaching from behind Adam. Shit - they really shouldn't have stopped for donuts. That security gaurd could still be after them - or her back up.  
Kai turned in his seat, ready to book it, when the strangers called out to them.  
"Adam?"  
The brunette turned around, his face going pale.  
"Run" he whispered. Kai was confused, but still grabbed at Adams hand and began to make a run for it. But Adam didnt move. He sat still as stone as the pair approached.   
"Dude, what are you doing?" Kai asked, tugging on his hand "why aren't you running, we're gonna get caught!" Adam looked back to Kai.   
"Dude, just run, I'll explain later."  
"No! I'm not leaving without you!"  
"Adaaaam!" A woman's voice called to them.   
"Do you know them?"  
"Kai seriously you really ought to go before -"  
Adam was tackled by an older woman, she looked to be in her 40's maybe. Adam ripped his hand from Kais and attempted to push her away.  
"Moooom! Not in front of my friends!" He whined.  
Kai started to laugh.  
No way.  
He was finally meeting Adams parents.

"So this is Kai!" His mother lets out elated  
Adams parents share a look  
"So what are the two of you doing all the way out here?" Adams father asks, glancing at the Heart donuts in the box.  
"Oh we were just-"  
"-Leaving" Adam cuts off Kai, glancing at him with a bit of desperation.   
"Y-yeah! Right! Were were just about to head out!"  
"Why don't you join us for dinner Kai?" Adams mother grins  
"I'm sure he's fine mom-"  
"-I'd love to!" He looks to Adam, realizing he's cut him off  
Adam's face is pleading  
"I mean -" Kai begins "If I weren't already running late to get home! I would love to - maybe some other time though?"  
Adams mother pouts   
"Are you sure? We can call your parents and ask, we wouldn't mind giving you a ride home."  
Kai panics, it'd be rude to decline at this point.  
"I - I really should get going - I have so much homework I still need to do!"  
"It'll only be an hour or so, it's not often my husband and I get to meet one of Adams friends"  
The woman was relentless.   
Adam sighed, throwing his arm around Kai  
"It's inevitable" he hung his head dramatically "I suppose it's time you met my parents" 

Wow was Kai not used to this.  
First of all this table was tiny. It could fit like, six people tops. And why were they all sat so close together? Kai and Adam were practically elbow to elbow. It was almost suffocating. And, goodness the most alien of all, they were all so talkative! Not that Kai was complaining, but most of his meals were spent in silence stuck between his parents 8 feet apart from him on either end. That was suffocating.  
"So Kai, Adam, how did the two of you meet?" Adams mother says with a grin.  
"We play a video game together" Adam answers.  
Kai likes that, nice and vague. No one around has any recollection of The Hollow anyways.   
"Are you in any school activities?" Adams father asks. Kai was honestly a little afraid of him. Not that he was being rude or had an agressive aura or anything, but he seems far more analytical of every one of Kais responses. And for some reason Kai feels this overwhelming pressure to get on his good side.   
"I - uh - do theater" he sputtered awkwardly, suddenly regreting that he didn't enroll in any sports this semester.   
"Theater!" His mother delights "Isn't that wonderful dear?"  
Adams father does not look impressed  
"So are you a stage hand or something"  
Kais very embarrassed at his own response.  
"No, I'm - I'm one of the actors actually."  
Adam joins in  
"I didn't know that"   
"It's not a big deal or anything! I just don't have a lot of other things to do with my time" he jokes, feeling uncomfortable with all the eyes on him.  
"The schools doing Macbeth right?" Adams mother asks  
"Yeah" Kai feels dizzy   
"What part do you play?" His father drills  
"Oh - No one big! It's really not anything special"  
"But what part do you play?" Adam repeated the question, genuinely intrigued  
"Mac... Beth."  
"The lead!" His mother seemed thrilled  
"How humble! The lead is such an important part!"  
"It's really not - hardly anybody tried out for the play! I just got lucky!" Kai defends, unable to take a compliment.  
"You know what they say about that show right?" Kais father says in a dark tone  
"What do they say?" Adam looks confused.  
"They say" his father muses "thats it's cursed! And any cast that shows that play is doomed to something awful happening!" He throws on an exaggerated voice, as if he were telling a kid a horror story  
Adam rolls his eyes  
"Yeah right"  
"No it's true" Kai interjects "My last school did a showing of Macbeth. We spent months on the set and everything and the night before the show the stage was eaten by termites"  
Adams father's eyes gleam, he's clearly intrigued.   
"So then Kai, why are you doing this play?"  
Kai looks away for a moment. The reasoning is a bit of a downer.  
"Well, Macbeth may be cursed, but it also sells out everytime it's preformed. The lore entices people. And the drama department's not doing so well... If we didn't do this show we would be shut down next semester."  
The table falls silent.  
A total buzzkill.  
"When is it?" Adam asks  
"Uh - Two Fridays from now, why?"  
"I wanna come watch" Adam says it so casually, but the thought of Adam seeing him on stage sparks his anxiety   
"N-No! I mean - it's really nothing special! You'd probably just be bored the whole time anyways! Besides, who wants to spend their Friday at the school - it'd be a total waste of time and -"  
"It's settled" Adams mother cuts off Kais rambling "We all be there! We'll make it a family night! Oh - I imagine your parents will be there too Kai. I can't wait to meet them!"  
Kai's a mess at this point.   
"I - I" he can't break it to her that his parents will absolutely not be there.   
"I can't wait" Adams father grins.   
Now Kai really can't decline.   
He sighs in defeat. This was the worst, he thought, with a bit of a smile.  
Why was he so happy?

"Sorry about my parents" Adam apologizes as Kai gathers his belongings. "They're just a little... Excitable"  
"Your mom's very nice" Kai smiles. Is this what parents are supposed to be like?  
"She's okay, they're so embarrassing though" Adam sighs, exasperated.  
"I think it's endearing. A little hard to get used to though" Kai entertains the thought of his parents talking at the dinner table like that. Asking him about himself. He feels sad for a moment.  
"So" Adam draws Kai from his thoughts "What are we gonna do about that Fairy?"  
"Fae" Kai corrects "And I have no clue. We could meet up during Fourth again though. To, ya know - Make a plan."  
Adam had almost forgotten that their routine was no longer a necessity.   
"Oh, yeah I guess we can." 

The car ride home was spent in conversation. Kai wasn't familiar with this much noise. His home was filled with silence, the art of conversation was utterly lost on him.  
That of course did not stop Adams parents from dragging him in every couple of minutes though. When they finally arrived to his home his father whistled.  
"You live here?" He asked in amazement. His mother sharing the same reaction.   
"Only in the summers" Kai joked  
Everybody laughed. Which made Kai feel good.  
"I'll walk you to your door" Adam offered, hopping out of the minivan.  
"Oh - it's fine, really!" Kai didn't want to run the risk of running into his parents.  
"I insist." Adam walked foward, leading the way.  
Kai quickly followed.  
"So what do you think of my parents? They too much for you?" Adam smirked.  
"Hardly" Kai lied. Adams parents were pretty draining, but not in a bad way. Kai was just unused to being given any attention.  
Okay, he thought, that sounds kind of sad.   
"Well, this is my stop"  
Adam grinned.  
"This was actually kind of fun"  
That made Kais heart beat really fast for some reason.  
"Uh - yeah! I, I had a good time as well! Um - Bye!" Kai's mind was racing as he slammed the door on Adam.  
What was that about? Adam thought to himself. Curious but mostly unfazed.  
Kai was weird.

What was that about?  
Kai couldn't comprehend his own actions.  
Why did he slam the door on his friend? Why did he feel so panicked?   
He shook his head. He should probably get to bed. Yeah - that was it. He was just tired. Nothing weird about wanting to get up to bed after a long day.

Kai could not fall asleep that night. No matter how tired he was his mind was restless. He kept looping the events from the past two nights over in his head. He felt a lot closer to Adam after everything that had happened. But he also felt anxious thinking about him. About the smell of his shirt he still adorned. He probably should have taken that off by now. He was home after all! But the thought of getting out of bed was dreadful. Not just that, he corrected. But the thought of tossing the shirt aside displeased him. He was so comfortable in it.   
Kai didn't take notice when he began to fall asleep, thoughts of Adam occupying his mind.

"I just didn't think you'd show up" Adam smiled at Kai, making the boys heart flutter.  
"Of course I did, I wouldn't miss this for the world" Kai looked over the hill at the night sky, the town below them was dim and the stars more clear than they'd ever been.  
"It's awfully romantic" Adam spoke softly, wrapping his arm around Kais waist. Kai felt his face grow warm.  
"Ha ha... Yeah I guess" he tried to avoid looking at Adam but his eyes couldnt help but wander. He felt his head nuzzle against Adams chest without his dictation.  
"They should be going off any moment now"  
Kai gazed at Adam, completely spell bound.  
His eyes are so pretty.  
Kai found himself lost in a sea of honey brown when Adam nudged him, looking fondly at the boi wrapped in his arms.  
When did they become so entangled?  
Kai followed Adams gaze to the sky and watched in amazement as fireworks lit up the darkness.  
"Woah" his jaw dropped "this is so pretty!" he looked back to Adam, who's eyes were still glued to him.  
"Yeah, pretty..."  
The urge to kiss Adam over came Kai - leaning in he felt the warmth radiating off of him, his lips pursed as he -  
"Master Kai, it's time for breakfast." Kai's eyes flew open as he shot up in bed.  
"Get out, get oUT, GET OUT!" He screamed at Davis, his face beet red.  
Davis quickly strode out of the room without a single question.  
Kais heart was POUNDING.  
"What was that?" He felt a ball of anxiety wound up tight in his gut. Oh god - he was gonna -  
Kai ran to his bathroom, puking the nerves out of his system.  
"What the fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!! I know, Ive been gone for a bit, these chapters take longer to finish than I initially planned. However! That means they're longer!!  
> Also! Idk if I've said this already but you guys??? Are the fucking sweetestest wtf???  
> I have a vague idea of whats to come with the next chapter, but if theres anything y'all are interesting in seeing (keep in mind they'll be back in school) drop it down below and I'll see what I can do. Maybe,, Adam meeting Kais "friends" 😳... Or even, why Kai hates his art class... Or... Adams book report (and its consequences). Idk, the worlds ur oyster guys, go nuts.


	5. Will delete Later (Teaser)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just to prove Im alive!!! Heres a sneak peak at the next chapter!!!

What was he doing? He should be out there with his friends right now - not hiding like a coward from - Adam jolted, knocking his pudding to the ground, as the door to the bathroom creaked open. He was filled with fear as foot steps made their way down the line of stalls, Adam watched intently as a pair of brown shoes stopped at each door. He bit his bottom lip, terror filling his heart as whoever it was made their way towards him. Painstakingly, as each door before him swung open before settling in front of him. And for a moment there was silence, as each person held their breath. Adam winced as a gentle knock rapped on the door. "Occupied" he offered weakly, hoping the other would walk away.

"Adam" Kai's voice was strained.

A wave of emotions overcame Adam as he heard the other boy call out his name. He sounded so scared. Adam stood and grabbed the handle, but stopped himself, still hesitant to face him.

"Can you open the door please"

the ginger sounded so beaten. Like he'd just watched someone kick his puppy. Adam flung the door open, knocking it off the hinges. Kais eyes widened as Adam stood before him. They stayed there for a moment, just staring at each other, each at a loss for words.

"Um"

Kai blinked slowly, trying to regain his composure. Adam winced and let go of the door.

"Are you avoiding me?" The redhead looked at him with a worried expression, suddenly closing a large portion of the gap between them, only a few inches from his face.

Adams eyes widened as Kai's boldness did not go unnoticed.

"W-why would you think that?" Adam stuttered, thrown off by the blunt question.

"Uh - I dont know? Maybe the way you bolted as soon as you saw me just a couple of minutes ago?"

Adams mouth went dry as he tried to figure out a way to deny the accusation.

"Nah, I just... Forgot something" he lied through his teeth.

The corner of Kais mouth tugged down as he gave Adam a look of disbelief.

"You forgot something?" He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Yup." Adam nodded his head.

"In the cafeteria bathroom?" Kai further interrogated him.

Adam just nodded, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Yeah right"

Kai wasnt buying it

"You booked cause you saw [spoilers] and you know it."

Adam had to hand it to the kid, he was good at seeing through his bullshit. Granted, Adam had never been very good at lying.

"I mean... Shit yeah. Can't really lie to you can I?" Adam chuckled.

Kai smiled a bit, the brunt of the awkwardness addressed at least. He let out a sigh of relief, casting his sight to his feet as he rocked on the balls of his heels.

"Quite frankly it's insulting you would even try" Kai joked in a mock offended tone.

Adam felt the tension melt away as Kai looked back up to him.

"Hey! Had to at least try." Adam smirked.

"It's awkward isn't it?" Kai asked shooting Adam a look of sympathy.

"And I dont even know why!" Adam eagerly agreed, all too quickly realizing his weird choice of words. Whether intentional or not Kai brushed passed Adams statement, instead nodding vigorously in agreement.

"I know right! I really wasn't expecting you to walk in! You have terrible timing by the way" Kai jabbed. Adam's smile faltered for a moment as he thought about it. He looked passed Kai to the sinks counter. Motioning to him as he made his way over there, propping himself up on the counter and crossing his legs. "So..." Adam began, looking anywhere but Kai "Are you [Spoilers!]?"

Kai let out a loud burst of laughter, doubling over before noticing the careful way Adam watched him.

"No, no it's nothing like that."

"So you just [Last censored part I promise]?" Adam challenged, not buying Kai's story.

Kai's gaze dragged agonizingly slow over Adam before meeting his eyes. Wearing a strange grin Adam could _swear_ he recognized, Kai leaned in a bit, his voice a little deeper.

"Maybe I do?" He bluffed.

Adam leaned in too, their faces getting dangerously close. Adams eyes flicked down to Kais lips,

"Oh yeah?" He asked, a weird electricity in the air as Kai's hands found themselves on either side of Adam on the counter.

"Yeah." Kai responded breathlessly as he began to close the gap, Adam holding his breath as -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry!!!!! I'm not gonna give a bunch of excuses, I'll be honest, I lost motivation to finish this for a while but! I'm back!! And I'm writing as fast as I can!!! I'll try (lots of stress on that word) to have the whole chapter up later this week, so please stay tuned!


	6. Really quick update I'm so sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annioop

Hey I'm so sorry my phone broke and I just got a new one and saw y'alls sweet ass comments, y'all r gonna make me cry. Im! Getting back to work on the next chapter rn!!! I'm so sorry I dipped but I swear I'm coming back. Thank u guys so much fir being patient. I promise I'll make it worth it!!! Next chapter has a lot of fluff too so I hope y'all enjoy it. Its also at 4000 words rn so it'll be a long one


	7. Its a date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're back bitches!!!!

Adam looked around, suddenly feeling dazed and confused.

"It's a D8" Kai stared at him, expectantly.

"What?" He asked, shaking his head as nausea started to set in.

"To use your Rapier? It's a D8 for damage" Mira rolled her eyes at him, unsurprised to catch him getting distracted.

Adam looked down at the dice in his hands, he'd never played dnd before.

He tossed the dice down, almost as if he was out of control of his own body. Kai let out a yelp of glee as Adam rolled an 8, his modifier bringing it up to a 10. The brunette felt a surge of pride fill up his chest as he dug his weapon into the trolls chest. He glanced to Kai, whose eyes were still trained on him, with a glint and a crooked grin. Adam glanced back down to his hands, his chest swelling and his mind clouded and bashful.

Glancing back up he locked eyes with Kai again, but this time was different.

Adam found himself at his schools library. His brow furrowed, he looked around, no teachers in sight. He felt something small strike his cheek, turning his attention back to Kai he noticed a crumped piece of paper that had been chucked at him. He raised an eyebrow and unfurled the paper.

_'Do you like coffee?'_

_'I'm a normal human being, duh.'_

_'I prefer tea' with a vomit emoji crudely drawn beside it_

Adam shot his gaze back to the ginger, a smile playing at his lips. He checked a box and slid it back to the loser before him.

Adam found himself, yet again in a new terrain. He stopped as a cup of coffee touched his lips. Kai sat across from him, again. This time with an fond look softening his features. Adam felt as something tugged in his chest, a familiar throbbing pulling him into the moment. He looked at Kai bewildered for a moment before deciding to roll with it and sip his steaming beverage. Kai gave him a curious look

"Something on your mind?" Adam just shook his head, something was certainly wrong with what was going on. But Adam couldn't put his finger on it. Something just felt... Off.

"Its nothing" he muttered with a smile. A weird sense of deja vu creeping in. As he set the cup down he felt something else being placed in his hands. And again, as he looked around, he found himself in a new setting. His eyes found Kai's again. The freckles on his skin bunched up as a large smile over took his face. "Lets see what you're made of" he said with determination in his eyes.

"As if you don't already know" Adam yoinked the headset from him, feeling confident in his abilities. He was the leader of the Championship-winning hollow team after all. He looked over to Vanessa and Reeve, the latter of which already had his googles on and was setting up his build.

"Telepathy killed it last time" he boasted.

Vanessa had her eyes trained on Adam and Kai, when Adam met her gaze he found her to be wearing a knowing expression. He looked back at her confused. As Adam began to slide the goggles on he looked around one last time, catching Kai's eyes once again. The freckled freshman gave him a thumbs up. As Adam looked in his eyes he realized what was a miss, his pupils blowing alongside his mind as it clicked, he was -

Adam shot up in bed, a cold sweat coating him.

He looked at his alarm clock. Bold red numbers stared back at him, 6:48am. Adam laid back down exasperated. The dream repeating in his head a couple times. It felt so vivid... As if he'd really been there. He looked around, a sadness gnawing at his heart.

**Monday, 7:30am.**

As Adam pushed through the school doors, as if on cue, Kai's hand found its way to Adams satchel. Adam looked back to him, their eyes catching, he quickly looked away, an all too familiar pang reverberating through his chest.

"One week to go!" He said cheerfully. Adam just nodded, trying to find Mira in the crowd.

"Oh, hey guys!" Adam perked up hearing a familiar voice, turning around his smiled faltered for a moment as he noticed a head of purple hair making their way towards the pair.

"Oh, Vanessa!" Kai called out excitedly.

Adams felt the corners of his mouth fall. He bit his tongue as he forced them back. Watching in silence as Vanessa emerged from the crowd and greeted Kai with a hug.

_Seems a little too friendly_

Adam thought bitterly. Once the thought had processed Adams eyes widened a bit, before looking in horror at the two in front of him.

Was he... Jealous?

He quickly shook his head, and the thought from his mind. Why on earth would Adam be jealous? Kai and Vanessa made small talk as Adam's dream from the night before began to replay in his head. He could still remember every little detail, from the smell of the coffee, to the way the corner of Kai's eyes crinkled when he smiled. Realization washed over Adam as he grabbed Kai's shoulder and spun him, tilting his head up to stare into his eyes, his face scrunched up in confusion. Kai's pupils shrunk in surprise, his face turning a deep shade of red. Something that went unnoticed to the taller boy, but not so much for their dear friend who had this spectacle play out before them.

"S-sorry" Adam reeled back as he processed what he'd done.

"I was just - checking something" Kai stared at him, still shell shocked.

"Um... Yeah." He mumbled, still staring at the older boy. The two of them found themselves in a bit of a trance, caught up in each others eyes as the bell rang.

Shaking his head Adam turned away, dashing towards his class without so much as a goodbye. Kai looked to Vanessa, letting out a long, relieved sigh.

"Oh you have _got_ to spill the tea" she said with a grin, throwing her arm around his shoulder as they walked to their First period together.

Adam found it _excruciatingly_ difficult to focus in class that day. Everything felt like a blur up until fourth period. He frowned as he caught himself glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time. Paying attention to it would only make it pass by slower. But still, he couldn't help the anticipation that swelled in his chest as he counted down the seconds until lunch.

_Two minutes to go_

he thought to himself, still unsure of why he was so excited for lunch. Though... He did have his suspicions. Hed already changed out of his gym uniform. He felt something nagging at him as he placed his neatly folded clothes back into his locker. He felt like he was running on autopilot today. He snapped out of the feeling as a hand clasped his shoulder, shaking him a bit.

"Good to see you back in class" Reeve jested.

Adam looked at him, lost for a moment before his eyes grew wide. He grabbed his backpack and dashed out of the locker room doors, hoping no teacher saw him as he bolted. Taking a sharp right Adam felt himself skid for a moment, as his momentum continued to pull him forward. He caught his balance as he ran toward the supplies closet.

He'd totally forgotten all about his and Kai's plans to meet up during class! He was still too dazed from his weird dream, unsure of the uneasy feeling that was making residence in his gut. As he threw open the door the bell for lunch rang, Adam panted, his shoulders slouching as he found Kai in the closet, his back turned towards him.

His heart dropped as the freshman turned to look at him, like a deer caught in head lights. Vanessa's purple iris's met Adams, filled with fear and... A tinge of regret. Adam slammed the door closed, his mind racing as he processed what he'd just seen.

Kai was kissing Vanessa.

_Kai was kissing Vanessa._

And as much as Adam teased, and poked and prodded at the nature Kai and Vanessa's relationship he'd never thought in a million years the two of them would ever...

Adam started making his way through the crowd to lunch, desperate for a distraction. He kept his head down through the entirety of the process. All through out the line, and paying for his food. In fact he didn't lift his head until he started making his way to his table. He paused, fear creeping into his heart. Brown eyes darted around until they found a familiar face.

For a moment his anxiety eased, as Adams eyes caught a glimpse of blue hair and a sense of relief washed over him.

Mira. His best friend, his rock.

Surely she would know how to fix whatever it was that was currently making Adams stomach churn. Though the peace was short lived, as Adam followed Mira's line of sight.

He quickly pivoted and made his way towards the cafeteria doors as the two of them made eye contact, electric blue eyes meeting his.

And though Adam couldn't hold their gaze for long he noticed a bit of... Frenzy in his eyes.

Again, autopilot overcame Adam as he made his way to, and sat down in the bathroom stall. He put his head in his hands and sighed to himself as he balanced his lunch on his lap.

"What's wrong with me" he muttered to himself. He couldn't, or rather really didn't want to, wrap his head around why he felt so... Much. Why just seeing Kai made his heart ache and his stomach fill up with -

Adam stopped his train of thought, scolding himself.

_No_

And with that he looked around himself, uninterested in his surroundings. His nose scrunched as he read some rather distasteful graffiti about a few of the girls in the school. He shook his head and pulled a sharpie from his satchel. Crossing out the names, Adam started to fill the walls with crudely drawn doodles of flowers and hearts. He found himself doodling one with an "A +" before he chided himself.

His meal peered at him, and Adam returned the gaze with disgust.

What was he doing? He should be out there with his friends right now - not hiding like a coward from -

Adam jolted, knocking his pudding to the ground, as the door to the bathroom creaked open. He was filled with fear as foot steps made their way down the line of stalls, Adam watched intently as a pair of brown shoes stopped at each door. He bit his bottom lip, terror filling his heart as whoever it was made their way towards him. Painstakingly swinging each door open before settling at his own.

And for a moment there was silence, as each person held their breath.

Adam winced as a gentle knock rapped on the door.

"Occupied" he offered weakly, desperately hoping the other would walk away.

"Adam" Kai's voice was strained. A wave of emotions overcame Adam as he heard the other boy call out his name. He sounded so scared. Adam stood and grabbed the handle, but stopped himself, still hesitant to face him.

"Can you open the door please" the ginger sounded so beaten. Like he'd just watched someone kick his puppy.

Adam slowly pushed the door open, terrified of what waited him on the other side.

Kai's eyes widened as Adam stood before him. They stayed there for a moment, just staring at each other, each at a loss for words.

"Um" Kai blinked slowly, trying to regain his composure.

Adam winced and let go of the door.

"Are you avoiding me?" The redhead looked at him with a worried expression, suddenly closing a large portion of the gap between them, only a few inches from his face. Adams eyes widened as Kai's boldness did not go unnoticed.

"W-why would you think that?" Adam stuttered, thrown off by the blunt question.

"Uh - I don't know? Maybe the way you bolted as soon as you saw me just a couple of minutes ago?"

Adams mouth went dry as he tried to figure out a way to deny the accusation.

"Nah, I just... Forgot something" he lied through his teeth. The corner of Kai's mouth tugged down as he gave Adam a look of disbelief.

"You forgot something?" He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Yup." Adam nodded his head. "In the cafeteria bathroom?" Kai further interrogated him. Adam just nodded, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Yeah right" Kai wasn't buying it "You booked cause you saw Vanessa and I kissing and you know it."

Adam had to hand it to the kid, he was good at seeing through his bullshit. Granted, Adam had never been very good at lying.

"I mean... Shit yeah. Can't really lie to you can I?" Adam chuckled.

Kai smiled a bit, the brunt of the awkwardness addressed at least. He let out a sigh of relief, casting his sight to his feet as he rocked on the balls of his heels.

"Quite frankly it's insulting you would even try" Kai joked in a mock offended tone. Adam felt the tension melt away as Kai looked back up to him.

"Hey! Had to at least try." Adam smirked.

"It's awkward isn't it?" Kai asked shooting Adam a look of sympathy.

"And I don't even know why!" Adam eagerly agreed, all too quickly realizing his weird choice of words. Whether intentional or not Kai brushed passed Adams statement, instead nodding vigorously in agreement.

"I know right! I really wasn't expecting you to walk in! You have terrible timing by the way" Kai jabbed.

Adam's smile faltered for a moment as he thought about it. He looked passed Kai to the sinks counter. Motioning to him as he made his way over there, propping himself up on the counter and crossing his legs.

"So..." Adam began, looking anywhere but Kai

"Are you and Vanessa a... Thing now?" Kai let out a loud burst of laughter, doubling over before noticing the careful way Adam watched him.

"No, no it's nothing like that."

"So you just kiss your friends?" Adam challenged, not buying Kai's story. Kai's gaze dragged agonizingly slow over Adam before meeting his eyes. Wearing a strange grin Adam could _swear_ he recognized, Kai leaned in a bit, his voice a little deeper.

"Maybe I do?" He bluffed. Adam leaned in too, their faces getting dangerously close. Adams eyes flicked down to Kai's lips,

"Oh yeah?" He asked, a weird electricity in the air as Kai's hands found themselves on either side of Adam on the counter.

"Yeah." Kai responded breathlessly as he began to close the gap, Adam holding his breath as - The door to the bathroom swung open, Kai jumped back, sparks shooting from his palms. They both turned to the intruder. Kai paled as Miles stood in the door way. He glanced between the two of them, giving Adam a dirty look, before going into the first stall. Kai looked back to Adam, who was yet again refusing to meet his eyes. His heart was pounding out of his chest.

"I'm gonna..." Kai began

"Yeah" Adam nodded, hopping down from the counter and following Kai out. He'd left his meal in the bathroom stall, but his stomach was too full of fluttering to bear the thought of food.

That was definitely... Weird.

He kept stealing glances at Kai, who suddenly seemed to have caught his tongue on a cats claws. They'd just about made their way to the table without a single word when Kai finally turned around, a blush on his face as he frantically asked Adam

"Please don't tell the others about what you saw with me and Vanessa - I promise you its not what you think it is" Adam rolled his eyes but conceded

"Say that as much as you'd like, but it's a little hard to believe the two of you lip locked was anything but kissing"

Kai made a pleading face

"But" Adam continued, throwing his hands up "I wont tell a soul"

Kai relaxed, the two of them sitting down at their table. Reeve gave a confused look to Adam, who responded with a shrug.

Adams mind was racing for the rest of the day. If he thought he was distracted this morning then boy howdy, he might as well have been in another dimension all together for the rest of the school day.

He caught himself zoning out often, his thoughts returning to the bathroom. What would have happened if Miles hadn't come in? Would Kai have really kissed him?

Adam shook his head. No way. He was into Vanessa, that Adam at least had definitive proof of. Besides... There was no way Kai would ever have those sorts of intentions. He was straight after all.

LAdam blinked as his line of vision was blocked. He was shaken from his thoughts as he noticed his teacher peering down at him; holding out his hand expectantly. Adam blinked slowly as the teacher gave him a confused face, caught off guard by the delay.

"Your paper, Mr. Cuevas"

Adam's blood ran cold.

_his book report_

He'd totally forgotten about.

"I-I" he stuttered, at a loss for words. He never forgot his homework, but with everything that had happened that weekend hed just gotten so wrapped up and...

"I forgot it." He hung his head low in shame.

His teacher chuckled.

"I'm sorry... I heard you wrong. It sounded like you said you forgot it." His teacher said without a trace of sarcasm or rudeness.

Adam just kept his head down, ashamed. His teachers eyebrows raised in shock.

"Oh, you - you did forget your work?" Adam nodded his head

"I see... Well, seeing as this is your first offence... I'm willing to let you turn it in late."

Adam looked up at him, overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Thank you sir - I promise I'll have it in tomorrow"

Adam rambled a little more about how grateful he was. His teacher just nodded and continued on.

The bell rang, as it always did, and Adam found himself outside, waiting for Mira as usual, when he felt a tug at his satchel. He turned, his heart fluttering as he expected to see Kai standing behind him. Instead he frowned, more than disappointed as he locked eyes with Vanessa.

"You and I need to talk" she whispered, leaning in and tucking something in Adams hand before swiftly turning around and vanishing in the crowd.

Adam was puzzled as he opened the neatly folded piece of paper in his palm. It was a phone number, presumably Vanessa's. Adam squinted at it, completely bewildered by the strange day he was having.

"Hey stranger"

Adam nearly broke his neck as he twisted towards Mira's voice, his heart clenching as Kai stood right beside her. As much as it made his mind race to be around him Adam felt drawn to Kai's side. Throwing an arm around his shorter companion he lifted his head and asked in a cocky tone

"Tagging along again?" It was hard to hide the smile in his voice. Kai stiffened in his grasp, before relaxing and looking back up to him.

"Happened to be free this afternoon, besides" Kai looked to Mira, choosing his next words very carefully

"You and I have a lot to catch up on."

"Since when did you two get so close?" Mira's eyes darted between the two of them suspiciously.

"We had a loooong weekend" Adam offered.

Kai elbowed him lightly in the ribs

"one could say there was a... _Fae-ry_ small incident or two." Adam chuckled as Kai howled with laughter at his own joke. Mira squinted, picking up on something neither of the boys were. When she was satisfied with her deduction, she shrugged with a knowing grin, leading the way.

"Alright lovebirds" she teased with a smile

"Lets get a move on, we don't have all day" Adam slinked his arm back to his side as he swallowed hard. He found it oddly difficult to protest Mira's taunt. Instead he just followed her lead. The walk was uneventful, though every now and again Adam felt his hand brush against Kai's as they walked beside each other, a jolt of electricity emanating from his heart. If Kai felt the same he had no reaction. When they arrived at Adam and Mira's cul-de-sac, the three of them paused.

"Soooo" Mira started, looking away from the two of them and shoving her thumbs in her pockets, with her hands still outstretched

"I better get home. Got a lot of stuff to help my dad's out with" she said, papping her legs with her hands to add emphasis.

"Oh,"

Adam looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping shed recognize that he needed her best friend wisdom.

And while Mira did catch him staring she only chuckled to herself and shot the two of them finger guns, backing away towards her house. Adam looked at Kai, his stomach churning. Kai stared up at him delighted

"Great! More us time!"

The ginger grinned. Adam groaned.

"Dude, I've still got to finish that book report."

Kai's smile faltered, "But - we have to figure out what were gonna do about the fae - and the helmet!"

"Its already late! If my parents found out I didn't turn in an assignment - which is 20% of my grade by the way - then I'm a dead man."

Kai's smile was quickly replaced with a frown.

"What happened to figuring this out as quickly as we can?" He pouted.

Adam looked to him, and then to his home, and back to Kai. The sophomore hung his head in defeat, throwing up his hands

"20 minutes. We sit down and talk it out for 20 minutes and then I'm doing my book report."

The next thing Adam knew Kai was grabbing his hand and tugging him down the street to his house.

Adam was screwed.

Much like a trained gymnast, Adam's stomach performed somersaults as his cheeks burned red. The redhead left totally oblivious to the pounding in Adam's chest. Adam opened the door warily, knowing his parents were home, but still unsure of where. If he were lucky, they'd be up in their room. Glancing either way Adam gulped, so far so good. He tiptoed in, trying to be as silent as a mouse. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to have company over but... Adams parents were embarrassing, okay? And Adams head was discombobulated enough already. The last thing he needed today was-

"Oh Adam dear! I'm so glad you're back - you're father and I were just-" Adam's mother came from the kitchen, a warm smile spreading across her face as she noticed Kai in the door way.

"Well hey there Kai! Adam didn't say he was having any company today"

"Oh hello Mrs-" "

He's not staying for long" Adam interjected, grabbing Kai's wrist and leading him to his room. Kai stumbled for a moment and waved Adams mother hello as Adam practically dragged him up stairs.

"Keep the door open!" Adams father called from the kitchen. Adam grumbled and shook his head, throwing open his door and ushering Kai in, closing it behind them.

"But your parents said -"

"20 minutes. You've got 20 minutes to talk over this fairy thing before I kick you out and do my homework." Kai rolled his eyes. Adam could be so impatient sometimes.

"Lets go over the facts" the red head began. The two recounted the weekend thoroughly, picking apart everything that'd happened and drawing out a timeline.

"It just doesn't make sense, Weirdy took hollow life offline. Why is this happening?" Adam pondered out loud, as he leaned against his desk.

"Maybe the developers got back on it somehow? And they're messing with us for destroying their game?" Kai offered.

Adam thought about it for a moment, "It's plausible - but unlikely. If anything the devs would have just deleted us and rebooted the game." Adam rebutted. Kai's face twisted with frustration as he thought harder.

"Okay... What if they programmed the fae and helmet in? Or the game glitched?"

Adam shook his head "That just doesn't add up, we would have noticed those things before."

"You said it yourself that you haven't been to that secret hide out in a while, the far could have been back there the whole time." Adam thought about it for a moment.

"I doubt that's it but we can't rule it out I suppose. Not yet anyways, we need more evidence."

Kai plopped down on Adams bed, kicking his shoes off and making himself right at home. Adam glared at him, before his eyes drifted to his clock.

"Eleven minutes Mr. Parker" the Brunette reminded him. Kai huffed, before shooting up - a look of enlightenment overtaking his face.

"Hear me out -" Adam listened intently as the redhead began

"Aliens."

Adam flicked Kai's forehead.

"Ow"

"You dunce, you always think its aliens" Adam said in mock annoyance, but he couldn't help the fond smile playing at his lips.

"I was kidding anyways" Kai pouted. Adam stared at him for a moment longer. His shorter frame slouched over, strands of hair framing his face, his captivating eyes.

Adam flinched at he realized Kai was staring right back at him.

"A-anyways" Adam stuttered, staring down at his feet "I think we should go back to the woods like we said we would. Scope it out and see if we see anything."

Kai's face lit up

"Like a steak out!" He exclaimed, more than just a little excited. 

_What a dork_ Adam thought to himself.

"Like a steak out" Adam conceited.

"Perfect! When are you free next?"

Kai was really looking forward to this huh?

Adam glanced at his calendar, and for once in his life he didn't have any practice for the week.

"Tomorrow night I guess" he said with a shrug. He glanced back to the clock.

"Great - where will we-" 

"Times up" Adam interjected.

"W-what?" Kai's face faltered.

"I told you 20 minutes. It's been 24."

"I thought you were joking" Kai simpered.

"Nope, dead serious. That book report is really important."

"And so's finding out what's happening" Kai objected.

Adam just shrugged.

"I'm sorry Kai, but school work is important too." Kai sighed,

"Oh well" he muttered to himself.

"Tomorrow night then" Kai declared, sitting up and pressing a button on his watch, Adam watched as a limo pulled into his driveway. Kai crossed the room swiftly

"Its a date" he said with a wink and finger guns, closing the door behind him before Adam could say anything else. Adams face was practically melting off. What did Kai mean by that? Before his thoughts could run wild Adam stuck his hands in his pockets, suddenly remembering the paper Vanessa gave him. He sighed and took it out, unfolding it he grabbed his phone and added her number to his contacts.

Though he was curious he also wasn't quite ready to face her. He didn't know why but for some reason she's was really starting to get on his nerves. Adam remembered their awkward interaction earlier that day and cringed. Yeah. He was not ready to talk to her. Adam plopped on his bed, exhausted from the long day he'd just endured. He moved to set his phone on his desk, not looking as he knocked something off. Adam glanced over his shoulder, more than just a little confused. He doesn't normally keep stuff on the edge of his -

His face paled as he stared at the floor beside his bed.

DND dice staring back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've missed u guys!!!! I hope this extra long chapter and overload of fluff makes up for the hiatus.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!! This is my first fic on here ever, and the first one I've written in like 6 months! I really hope you enjoy it, I have a lot planned out for this bad boy.  
> Please!!! Leave comments!! (For the love of god I need the validation) I'm particularly interested in character head cannons and knowing any grammatical/spelling/continuity mistakes I make.


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